“A director may fall into one of the deepest pits by rushing immediately to visual or pictorial solutions” – Georgi Tovstonogov
This is one of my greatest fears as a director, and, if not, already one of my flaws. Since Craig Proudley lectured us on the difference between competent, good & great directors I’ve become consciously aware of ‘directing styles’, and where mine is headed. I haven’t had time to explore my style thoroughly and put anything into action, however I hope I can adapt his tips to my final project next trimester. I can so far say I’m a competent director until I complete my studies and have time to explore my creativity. Sometimes I can be less than a competent director, if I look back on previous works. My first time directing was also my first time writing, which I enjoyed and did well at; and I often think if was a fluke. I put my heart and soul into that film, which ended up crashing and burning by the time it hit production, but it was a massive learning curve for not only my craft, but about myself. This trimester hasn’t been smooth sailing with my directing, but ill get into that later.
One way to help yourself grow as a director is to research other directors, and exactly what their tools and techniques are. Watch their films from oldest to newest and see them grow. See what their inspirations are. I first got this piece of advice when talking to Robert Connolly, the director of Paper Planes (2014), when I met him at Gold Coast Film Festival. He also told me to find a story in anything I could and film it, even if it’s on my iPhone. He said that he began learning to direct through watching films, and look where he is now. He’s a successful writer/director with a film that made it to the big screen.
For me, I’ve always strived to make something different. I’ve always tried to think of a unique shot or storyline that’s different from anything else. I don’t want to be stuck in a cycle of Hollywood storylines and character types, where the same movie gets produced over and over, just by different directors and with different titles. I’ve always thought that successful filmmakers had a technique and a complex strategy on how to direct actors, what to shoot and where to put the camera. However, after reading “On Directing Film” by David Mamet, I’ve learnt this isn’t always the case.
Mamet provides an interesting point, which is to “keep [filmmaking] simple, stupid and don’t violate those rules that you do know. If you don’t know which rule applies, just don’t muck up the more general rules” (Mamet, 1991, p. 73).
This comment made me realise I’ve been overthinking directing. I’ve always strived for the most unique way to portray something, or how to make sure what I’m doing is different than what everyone else does. This is probably why I always draw myself too short, because sometimes its impossible to be unique and new, depending on the circumstance. Sometimes being new and quirky isn’t the right place to start, as sometimes it becomes more about trying to be someone else rather than being yourself, which can draw away from the quality of the story, and into something messy instead.
Mamet seems to be the kind of director I aspire to be. A director whom acknowledges they don’t know all of the answers. His technique is very simplistic and honest, as he’s honest with himself whether he is writing or directing; he has a particular knack for ensuring everything has a purpose, especially with storytelling.
“If you find that a point cannot be made without narration, it is virtually certain that the point is unimportant to the story” (Mamet, 1991, p.4).
He also draws close inspiration from Einstein on how films should be made, “… a succession of images juxtaposed so that the contrast between these images moves the story forward in the mind of the audience” (Mamet, 1991, p.2). I also inspire to follow this, to show not tell, express subtext and context, and to share information without it being said by a character or narrator.
One of the main topics Craig Proudley discussed in his lecture was subtext, and how much difference on how a character acts, thinks, dresses, and how interesting a story can be. Subtext can make a tremendous difference to a film, however is rarely noticed. I’ve begun to think of filmmaking as if it were an iceberg. Only 10% of it is seen: the final result, with 90% being hidden underneath, pushing the film to be the best it can be. Subtext is one thing I struggle with, as it’s a difficult concept to master, which is why not every film is great. I look forward to trying to add subtext to my final project.
I still don’t know what I’m doing as a director. In such a small class, I often need to worry about other aspects of filmmaking, such as being a gaffer, producer, DOP, editor… I find myself managing various roles at once to made do. I feel this has limited my focus on directing, which has in turn left me slaking, unfocused and deflated. It also gives me less time to understand a scene, script, characters and storyline. An example of this would be the SADS campaign. I wasn’t fully aware of my lack of understanding until I read a quote from Mamet:
“We see directors do as many sixty takes of a shot. Now, any director who’s watched dailies knows that after the third or fourth take, he can’t remember the first, and on set, when shooting the tenth take, you cannot remember the purpose of the scene. And after shooting the twelfth, you can’t remember why you were born. Why do directors, then, shoot this many takes? Because they don’t know what they want to take a picture of. And they are frightened” (Mamet, 1991, p.67).
On the set of SADS, before shooting, I barely had time to look at the script, hence me not fully understanding the scene. This was because I was holding on too tightly with my fashion video, as it was a very big project for me, as I was Director/Producer/DOP/Editor, and because it was for a friend. I didn’t want to let her down, and I wanted to excel on this project. The SADS video seemed less important to me because it wasn’t mine, I didn’t know the client, and I was too selfishly focused on my own pre-assigned work to put as much effort into this project as I could have. I also couldn’t mentally stretch myself across a few productions. I decided to focus on the one that was more dear to my heart.
On set, after fourteen takes, half of which were useless/ not needed, we ran out of time to shoot the necessary coverage. This ultimately ruined the whole video, as it now has coverage and continuity issues. I wouldn’t call myself afraid, as Mamet said, but I did not have full understanding of what we were filming. I trusted the DOP/Producer and his preproduction planning, without taking a look at it myself, which I dearly regret. Nonetheless, it happened, and I can only learn from my mistakes and move forward.
Through all of my crashes and errors, I stay optimistic, thanks to Michael Rabiger & Mick Hurbis-Cherrier for their words of wisdom in Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics (2013) … “Don’t listen to anyone who says you are (or are not) talented. I’ve taught thousands, and “talent” can be a flash in the pan. What matters more is your quality of effort, dogged persistence, and that you love the work. Nobody can tell who will do well”
This has helped me this trimester while reflecting on my work. I’m confident that I’m just having a bad run, and need to take some time off to re-energise and collect myself. I need to find new inspiration and have a fresh start with my studies, and refresh my creativity. I think the best way for me to draw upon myself as a director, is to look up to those I aspire. As Robert Connolly said to me, I need to watch other films, film what inspires me, write about what inspires me… which is what I will do over trimester break. I will find myself watching films and analysing them. I want to watch more foreign films, black and white and subtitled films, independent films and explore every type of film I can. I want to break away from the stereotypical Hollywood mainstream films and gain cultural awareness. I’ve watched a few independent films, which I find more endearing and true, which I do inspire to achieve through my filmmaking.
REFERENCES
Rabiger & Hurbis-Cherrier. 2013. Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics (5th ed.). Taylor & Francis.
Mamet, D. 1991. On Directing Film. USA: Penguin Books.
dana rosanne 